Edible Gardening for the Shade

When most people picture a vegetable garden, they imagine a spot that bakes in the sun all day. For some vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, and squash, this is the ideal site. However, there are plenty of vegetables that will grow well without full sun.

The image to the left is a good rule of thumb when planning your garden. Keep in mind that no vegetable will grow in full, dense shade. The following crops will produce with three to six hours of sun, or fairly constant dappled shade, per day.

Crop

Shade Notes

Growing Tips

Arugula, endive, cress

At least three to four hours of sun per day.

Arugula welcomes shade, as this crop is prone to bolting as soon as the weather turns warm if in full sun.

Asian greens

At least two hours of sun per day.

Asian greens such as bok choi will grow wonderfully with a couple hours of sun plus some bright shade or ambient light.

Broccoli, cauliflower

At least four to five hours of sun per day. Prefers full sun but partial shade will keep it from bolting to seed.

If you grow chard mainly for its crisp stalks, you will need at least five hours of sun per day; if you grow it mainly for the tender baby leaves, three to four hours of sun per day will be enough.

Expect chard grown in partial shade to be quite a bit smaller than that grown in full sun. Baby chard leaves are excellent cooked or served raw in salads.

Culinary herbs

At least three hours of sun per day.

While many culinary herbs need full sun, chives, cilantro, garlic chives, golden marjoram, lemon balm, mint, oregano and parsley will usually perform well in shadier gardens.

Kale

At least three to four hours of sun per day.

You’ll notice only a small reduction in growth if comparing kale grown in partial shade with kale grown in full sun.

Lettuce

At least three to four hours of sun per day.

Lettuce is perfect for shadier gardens because the shade protects it from the sun’s heat, preventing it from bolting as quickly. Often, the shade can buy a few more weeks of harvesting time that you’d get from lettuce grown in full sun.

Mesclun

One of the best crops for shady gardens. Grows in as little as two hours of sun per day and handles dappled shade well.

The delicate leaves of this salad mix can be harvested in about four weeks, and as long as you leave the roots intact, you should be able to get at least three good harvests before you have to replant.

Mustard greens

At least three hours of sun per day for baby mustard greens.

Mustard grown for baby greens is best-suited for shady gardens.

Peas and beans

At least four to five hours of sun.

If growing these crops in partial shade, getting a good harvest will take longer. Try bush and dwarf varieties rather than pole varieties.

Root vegetables

At least four to five hours of sun per day for decent production.

Beets, carrots, potatoes, radishes and turnips will do OK in partial shade, but you’ll have to wait longer for a full crop. The more light you have, the faster they’ll mature. Alternatively, you can harvest baby carrots or small new potatoes for a gourmet treat that would cost an arm and a leg at a grocery store.

Scallions

At least three hours of sun per day.

This crop does well in partial shade throughout the growing season.

Spinach

At least three to four hours of sun per day.

Spinach welcomes shade, as it bolts easliy if in full sun. If you grow it specifically to harvest as baby spinach, you’ll be able to harvest for quite a while as long as you continue to harvest the outmost leaves of each plant.